FROM VISION TO REALITY

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."

Michelangelo, late 15th/early 16th century Italian artist.

It's that way with all great achievements.

Envisioning what could be doesn't make it so.

You must work hard to realize the vision.

IF YOU LOOK REALLY HARD . . .

"Nimble thought can jump both sea and land."

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) British poet and playwright.

Whether he intended it to be or not, Shakespeare's take on visualization; a most important element in business and our personal lives.

To accomplish great things you must first envision them and the greater they are the more difficult that is to do.

You must see what others cannot.

THE UNIMAGINABLE IMAGINED

"Moralities, ethics, laws, customs, beliefs, doctrines --these are of trifling import. All that matters is that the miraculous become the norm."

Henry Miller (1891-1980) American author

That last sentence would make a pretty good mission statement wouldn't it?

But how?

Left only to a mission statement hanging on the wall, useless.

Could (would) you even attempt to create a work culture where miraculous results was the expected norm?

What Do Your See?

"Everyone takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world."

Arthur Schopenhauer

Late 18th/early 19th century German philosopher

Your vision and that of your managers may be the reason your company accomplishes so little.

From Dreams To Reality

"The dream was always running ahead of me.  To catch up with it, to live for a moment with it in unison, that was the miracle."

Anais Nin

20th century French/Cuban author

This should be the goal for all of us, both in our personal and professional lives.

Too much dream, not enough reality, and nothing gets done.

And the reverse is too boring to contemplate.

Ms. Nin is new to me and now that I've discovered her and like what she has to say, I will look for more of her works.

And the fact that we share a birthday is an added plus.  Us dreamer Pisces must stick together.

Looking Ahead??

"The empires of the future are empires of the mind."

Winston Churchill

Meaning, if you can't envision it you can't do it.

What are your visions?

The Art of Business

"Art is either plagiarism or revolution."

Paul Gaugin

19th century French artist

In business as well.

We most often "borrow" from others occasionally coming up with something entirely new.

When it is the latter we have a steep hill of doubt to climb before others see the revolution as we do, rather than just another folly.

Not What Is, What Could Be!

"A sneer is the weapon of the weak."

James Russell Lowell
19th century American writer/editor

Most anyone can see what is wrong or missing with an idea, product, plan, program, etc.

In other words, what isn't.

But value comes from those who also see what is or could be, and then work to make that happen.

Doing or Driving?

"Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion."

Jack Welch

The higher up you are in management the truer this is, or should be (if you are a senior manager, doing more than driving, you have a completely different problem.)

But it is also true for mid/lower management as well.

As a manager, how much do you do versus manage?